Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

 We have been reading from the Acts of the Apostles during the post-Pentecost season and can see how under the power and influence of the Holy Spirit the structure of the Church is taking shape.  The Apostles, very much aware of their duty and responsibility to shepherd and guide the infant Church, prayerfully respond to the particular needs of individuals and the various communities of disciple, both Jew and Gentile.  The power entrusted to them is now passed on to the first order of the Priesthood by the creation of deacons (diakonia-service) who will share some of the power, though not all, in order to bring care to those in need and share in the mission of evangelizing the world.  In today’s Reading we hear of their service to the poor and in time their duties will be expanded to preaching the Gospel, Baptizing, witnessing marriages, burying the dead and ,of course, assisting at the Altar.  Over the course of time further duties are entrusted to them in regards to church administration.

      Deacons are not empowered to offer Mass, hear confessions and absolve from sin, Confirm, and anoint the sick.  These are reserved for the order of Presbyters, or priests.   With the Presbyterate bishops ordain men as an extension of themselves with the same sacramental authority with the exception of the power to Ordain.  This tri-level hierarchy is the Holy Spirit’s design for serving the Church.  The term hierarchy has often been misrepresented in today’s lexicon.  The Greek word “hieros” means priest and so it properly refers to the levels of Priesthood Not secular levels of powerbroking.

      This reminds us to be always aware to carefully use the words we speak in their proper context and not according to the misappropriated trends of the day.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

       The Fourth Sunday of Easter has always been known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The Scripture Readings for the day affirm the reason why this is so. From  Acts we hear St. Peter, on time fisherman now taking on the vocation of shepherding the budding Church with true teaching, absolute clarity, and an enthusiasm that can only come from deep Faith the Shepherd, Christ Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit  He Who is the Way, the Truth and the Light leads ,protects, nourishes those who follow Him and entrusts that mission to those He calls be it Pope, bishop, priest or deacon.  Hence, we draw our attention to the absolute necessity to pray for, support and foster vocations to the sacerdotal, priestly, ministry which Christ initiated at the Last Supper. That night He not only instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist but also the means by which His Real Presence would be assured through time and place, namely the Priesthood of the New Covenant. 

     Mysteriously our Lord chose the most unexpected men to be His shepherds to continue nourishing and caring for the flock which is the Church. It is a Call from the Lord Himself, not a career nor a job, but an entrustment given to men who know in their hearts that it is the Lord’s work we do, not our own. It is His grace and presence in our lives that set us apart to celebrate the Sacred Mysteries of our Faith.

        This past week the fifth of my thirteen Ordination classmates have been called from this life, Fr. Carmen Perry. We were classmates since 7th grade at West Scranton High School and if you had known us then who would have thought we would be priests of Jesus Christ. But the Lord has His ways and along the way we had to say yes, just as Holy Mary did. No longer are the Ordination classes anywhere near as large as ours was. Sadly there are many who are called but are afraid to say yes to the Shepherd’s call. It was scary for us, but love conquers all fear.

      We pray especially today and every day that men will answer the call of the Lord despite their fears and uncertainty and allow the love of Christ to move them to wonderfully serve the Lord as priests.

     And as we enter the lovely (?) month of May let us remember that this month is especially dedicated to our Lady, the Blessed Mother Mary, who is mother of all priests and accompanies those who say yes to God with all the love and affection necessary to make a total commitment to God’s call and will  With our Mother’s love nothing is impossible.  May Mother Mary be our special intercessor during this month as we pray for an increase of vocations to the Holy Priesthood.

With Blessings,

Father Langan 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

     Boldness and clarity are the words we hear from St. Peter as we read from the Acts of the Apostles during these days of Eastertide. He who once cowarded for fear of his life, now empowered by the Holy Spirit, fearlessly proclaimed the Good News of salvation in Jesus Christ. Peter does not know the consequences of his preaching but the fruit of it is two-fold: an enormous number of people, both Jew and Gentile, accept Christ into their lives: and the authorities are plotting to take him out just as they did to our Lord. Surely living the Christian life has these consequences, both good and ill.

     Sometimes we become like “old” Peter. We may be timid or even afraid to profess, defend, and pass on our Faith for fear of offending or discomforting someone, or God forbid< even worse. But we must remember that the same Holy Spirit which emboldened the Apostles has been given to us. It’s just a matter of unleashing the gifts of the Holy Spirit in us, in trust, and allowing Him to take us where he wills. 

    Many have remarked about the noble portraits of our Holy Father Pope Leo now hanging in our Churches, school, and office. It took a while to get them, but we had them framed (all seven) by Picture Perfect in Hawley and a great job was done by the framer Bill. When I asked him for the bill, he said he was happy to do the work for free. No cost for frames or labor. If ever you need framing work done, please consider going to this kind and generous man and express your gratefulness to him. There certainly are good people out there.

 With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Christ is Risen, Alleluia!  We are now in the period known as the Great 50 Days extending from Easter Sunday to Pentecost.               During 40 of these days our Blessed Lord appeared to  and instructed the Apostles on the mysteries of the Faith as He did to the disciples on the road to Emmaus.  That Oral Tradition has been handed down to us by and through the Apostles long before there was the written and codified collection of the Sacred Scriptures which we know as the Bible.  The Oral Tradition has been collated by the Magisterium (Teaching Authority), of the Church in the Catechism.  Throughout the season of Lent and even before a number of adults have been meeting with your pastor almost weekly for catechesis (handing on of the Faith) in preparation for entrance into full communion with the Catholic Church.

        With great joy these seven adults were received into the Church and completed their Initiation through the Sacrament of Confirmation and reception of Holy Communion.  With love and affection and pledge of our continuing support we welcome: Melanie and Travis, Morgan, Lydia, Rebecca, Corey and Erik into our family of Faith.  May God continue to shower His blessings upon them as they live the life of grace bestowed upon them.

       Also on Easter day we Baptized 5 youngsters into the Faith:  Jude, Wyatt, Jase, Patrick and Ella.  We welcome them as well with great joy and pray that they grow in wisdom and love in the knowledge of God’s plan for them.

       Today, Sunday, we celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday instituted by St.  John Paul II at the turn of the Millenium.  It is the occasion of a special grace and indulgence granted by God through the Church based on the revelations of our Lord to St. Faustina in the early nineteen hundreds.  Participation in this devotion brings with it a plenary indulgence if one has confessed within 8 days prior to or after the date received Holy Communion, renounced sin with the intention of not falling into it again, and prayer for the Holy Father, an Our Father, Hail Mar and the Creed.  The celebration of Divine Mercy will be held in St. John’s, beginning at 2;30 PM.

      The Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Scranton has been established to assure the strength of our Catholic Schools and various other long term programs for the benefit of the faithful throughout the 11 counties of our diocese. To initiate this foundation a special auction will begin on-line Apri; 13th and concluding on May 1st. Austin Burke, a local artist from Archbald, has selected several parish churches throughout the diocese for original oil paintings.  We are privileged that ST. John’s is one of them.  We hope that parishioners will bid on our painting which will be on display in our church.  Simply go to the Catholic Foundation for the Diocese of Scranton for bidding and further information.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

    In the midst of her profound sorrow over the death of her brother Lazarus, Martha declares her belief “Lord, I have come to believe that You are the Christ, the Son of God, the One Who is coming into the world….”Martha had no expectation that our Lord would raise her brother after four days in the tomb.  In fact, she pointed out the futility of such an attempt.  But the Lord used this time of grief and despair to accomplish His mighty work. This miracle was met with astonishment, joy and many responding with faith.  But here were those who saw it as the so-called “straw that broke the camel’s back”.  The all-out effort to destroy the Author of life began. 

     Next Sunday we begin to walk with our Savior as He makes His triumphant entry into Jerusalem and hence prepare ourselves to be with Him in His greatest Triumph, namely His victory upon the Cross.  To the world it seemed then and now an absurdity, but to those who, like Martha, had faith it is the wisdom and mystery of God.    We as Catholic Christians have the wonderful privilege to participate both physically and spiritually in the High Holy Days of our Faith.  We are not re-acting but rather re-living the days of our redemption.  May we do so with the faith of Martha.

With Blessings,

Father Langan

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

      Happy Laetare (rejoice!)  Sunday.  We have come to the half-way mark of Lent and along with the, finally, lightening of the season comes the spiritual lightening of our souls.  These past days we have seen the importance of water in the journey of Faith preparing us for the renewal of our Baptism vows.  Today we focus on the necessity of light by which we see the world around us and the darkness which may reside within.  Christ is the light that illuminates our darkness so that we may really see the need for conversion…

    During the week, by now, you should have received a mailing from our Parish Finance committee outlining the needs for our present and future budget.  It has been a rough winter and expenses have soared regarding snow removal and maintenance.  You have the opportunity to consider an increase in your already generous Sunday offering.  Please give it due consideration and return your response as soon as possible.

     We have a number of requests , happily so, for the Sacrament of Baptism for children.  Because I am unable to meet individually with families (14) we shall have next Sunday, March 22, at 2 PM in St. John’s Church the Baptismal Catechesis Program for parents and prospective godparents.  Attendance is mandatory prior to Baptism.  Please call the parish office to register.

With Blessings,

Father Langan